MTLNOVEL Chapter 41: The King's Defeat Is Also a Godsend.
Hearing this news, Ian wasn't surprised at all.
King Uther's defeat was a fate that he himself had already acknowledged.
Rather, the fact that he was able to contend with Vortigern for so long under these circumstances could be considered an all-out effort.
In that case—
Ian looked at the British knights in front of him.
These people should be the ones who retreated from the defeated front line.
One;
Two;
Three;
Ian estimated the number of knights in front of him.
He should be able to kill them all by himself—after all, they were basically all wounded.
He absolutely couldn't let the news of the front line's defeat be easily transmitted back to Camelot.
Ian's hand stopped on the longsword at his waist.
"Where did you escape from?"
The lead knight's question pulled Ian back from the overflowing killing intent.
He had to squeeze out a fake smile and answer:
"I didn't escape from anywhere."
"I'm a garrison from Camelot."
"A garrison from Camelot..." The lead knight nodded thoughtfully, then suddenly remembered something.
"Then you must have seen Princess Morgan!"
"..."
Ian hesitated for a moment and chose to tell him part of the truth directly.
"Yes... I'm actually the knight who escorted her back to Camelot."
The lead knight was stunned for a moment, then excitedly grabbed Ian's hand.
"You... are you the knight named Ian?"
"Yes, it's me."
"Hey!" The lead knight immediately waved to the people behind him, "Come here! This is the knight named Ian that everyone in the camp has been talking about!"
"What?!"
[The defeated knights approached you.]
[They looked at you with admiration.]
[This surprised you.]
[You began to ask what was going on.]
[The defeated knights quickly told you everything.]
[You finally had the chance to learn about the situation on the front line after you and Morgan left.]
[King Uther didn't announce the real reason for sending his daughter Morgan back to the capital.]
[Instead, he chose to explain the situation to his troops with the reason that "Camelot needs her to guard it."]
[As for you, King Uther covered up the truth by saying that you were "a knight who could only be subdued by the princess."]
[This was considered his most failed decision.]
[Because Morgan was invincible in the knights' minds, and you were a brave general who had surrendered to her.]
[As the British army began to decline, this rumor spread more and more.]
[Your and Morgan's absence seemed to be unanimously considered by the knights as the root cause of the war's defeat.]
[But you, who knew everything, knew that this was something King Uther had intentionally done—perhaps it was the only care he had left for Morgan.]
[You realized that the situation might be a godsend.]
Ian silently pressed the blade he had originally intended to draw back into the scabbard.
"So many things happened."
"You've all worked hard."
"It's nothing..." The lead knight showed a regretful and sad expression, "The king has lost, and so have we."
"It's not entirely your fault."
Ian patted his shoulder and comforted him.
"We also have a responsibility—we should have insisted on staying on the front line."
"Lord Ian, we..."
"Alright, don't regret it anymore." Ian stopped the knights' sadness, "You have to look forward, the road is always under your feet."
"Tell me, how many people like you are there nearby?"
The knight shook his head.
"I don't know."
"Everyone is fleeing, we are just a small part, and now we are all staying in the village ahead."
"I see."
Ian was a little glad that he hadn't rushed to attack—after all, he might have scared some away with too much noise, and that would have been a big problem.
"Everyone."
Ian stopped his horse.
"Take me to see them."
"Alright!"
[Under the lead of the knights, you were able to enter the village.]
[Talent: Affinity·Knightly Spirit has been activated: You, who are neatly dressed, are considered a powerful knight, and the villagers did not show any dislike for your arrival.]
[You met the other knights.]
[They were sitting around a campfire, looking quite tired.]
[The wounds on their bodies were more shocking than those of the knights you had encountered before.]
[Obviously, this was a group of more severely injured knights.]
[You could feel their dedication to fighting for King Uther from those wounds.]
[Objectively speaking, as a former colleague, you did feel a little heartache for them.]
[The knights you met earlier told the others present about your identity.]
[They showed a considerable degree of surprise.]
"Lord Ian..."
These wounded knights braced themselves and tried to stand up to show their respect.
"Don't get up."
Ian immediately stopped them.
"My status is not much higher than yours."
This was the truth—because these knights obviously didn't know that he and Morgan were married.
Or, to be more precise, the grand wedding didn't affect this remote village.
After all, along the way, Ian felt more curiosity than respect from the villagers' eyes.
"You don't need to be so polite."
While saying this, Ian distributed the rations he had brought to the knights.
"Eat something first."
"Thank you so much!"
The knights were very grateful for Ian's generosity, and this exchange relaxed them a lot.
"How is Princess Morgan doing?"
"She's fine." Ian answered without hesitation, "Under her management, Camelot is more prosperous than before."
"Damn it!"
Hearing this, a knight punched the ground.
"If only we could defeat that damn Vortigern!"
"If we could bring victory back to Camelot, we wouldn't have to feel guilty like this!"
"..."
Ian wanted to tell everyone present that this war was actually doomed to failure.
But in the end, he hid all his thoughts deep in his heart.
If it's unnecessary, don't mention it.
"So, how did you come to this village?"
Ian glanced at the surrounding environment.
"Did you come here by chance, like me?"
"It can't be said to be completely by chance."
"What do you mean?"
"Well..."
The knights looked at each other and nodded.
The lead knight explained:
"A young man named Artorius brought us here."